Kent Deezling

Serving the Galactic Empire, Kent Deezling, a human male, functioned as a deck technician within the Imperial Center of Military Research near the Citadel Tower on the planet Scarif. Despite the common disregard or disdain shown towards support personnel by higher-ranking Imperial officers, the consistently excellent routine work performed by individuals such as Deezling was crucial to the Imperial war machine. He played a significant role in coordinating the arrival and departure of flights on Scarif.

Connected to air traffic control via a headset, Deezling worked in conjunction with flight-control technicians situated in the tower, maintaining constant communication with them. His duties at the base were varied, including the manual direction of traffic on rapidly changing landing fields where automated systems were too slow to respond, and assisting pilots in maneuvering their ships using illuminated traffic wands during landing or takeoff. Deezling was also authorized to take control of certain vessels and pilot them to their designated positions on the landing deck, as deck technicians received the training necessary to operate a wide variety of craft.

Deezling and his fellow technicians also performed duties as inspectors, ensuring the functionality of landing pad equipment and preparing accompanying ground crews when conducting routine inspection checks on recently landed vessels, as part of a team that included an Imperial officer and a stormtrooper escort. Deezling also served as a guard.

In the year 1 BBY, Deezling was stationed at Landing Platform Nine on Scarif. There, he and Lieutenant Colin Hakelia were part of an inspection team dispatched by Second Lieutenant Frobb, the deck officer of the platform, to inspect the Zeta-class Heavy Cargo Shuttle SW-0608 upon its arrival. Accompanied by two stormtroopers, Deezling and Hakelia departed the tram station that connected the landing platform to the Citadel Tower and approached the shuttle. The deck technician then activated the vessel's entry ramp by pulling a lever on its exterior.

The inspection team boarded, unaware that this routine operation would end tragically for them. The SW-0608 had been stolen from the Empire by the Rebel Alliance and was carrying a group of rebels seeking to steal the plans for the Empire's Death Star superweapon.

Deezling and his team were greeted in the ship's hold by the defected Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook, who instructed them to locate the ship's manifest below. At the hatch leading down to the cargo area, the inspection team was confronted by the rebel Baze Malbus, who aimed his weapon at them. When Rook and other rebels also pointed their weapons at the Imperials, Deezling and the others surrendered. From the cockpit, the rebel Jyn Erso heard a muffled shout and the sound of multiple impacts against the deck. The Imperials were then bound, stripped of their uniforms, and the prisoners were confined to the cargo area of the vessel.

Erso then put on Deezling's uniform as a disguise. Despite its oversized fit, she used it to infiltrate the Citadel Tower, where she successfully stole the Death Star plans. Fighting erupted between the rebels and Imperials, resulting in the destruction of SW-0608 in an explosion and the eventual annihilation of the entire Imperial compound by the Death Star. At some point during these events, Deezling and the rest of the inspection team died.

Deck technicians such as Deezling generally favored analog solutions to problems and could accurately estimate distances without sensors. He possessed light-colored skin.

While stationed on Scarif, Deezling wore a black Imperial flight jumpsuit for instances requiring him to pilot a vessel, ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the landing platform. The suit also featured pockets for tools and equipment essential to his daily tasks, as well as a chest-mounted flight pack containing sensors to assist Deezling in his work. It was paired with black gloves and black boots that provided enhanced grip, along with a black utility belt on which Deezling carried a spare power pack for the suit's systems or the pair of illuminated traffic wands he carried on his back.

Deezling's uniform also included a fully sealed black wraparound helmet equipped with an integrated air filtration system, covering his entire head to protect him from the noise and pollution of his dusty and windy work environment, thus improving his focus. The helmet's visor provided a constant stream of information about his surroundings and allowed him to see through dust and fumes. However, it could be flipped down into the helmet's faceplate, which was also removable, to allow Deezling to directly observe certain issues. The helmet also incorporated a comlink for communication with air traffic control, pilots, and other landing platform crew.

Kent Deezling made his debut in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a film from the Anthology Series, as well as in its adult and junior novelizations, which were released on the same day as the film, December 16, 2016. Prior to the film's release, the character was initially revealed in a featurette for Rogue One released on November 16, 2016.

According to co-costume designer David Crossman, the character's costume was a combination of three different looks, including the helmet of an Imperial gunner that was modified to show the character's face. At least three pieces of concept art for Deezling's costume were created by co-costume designer Glyn Dillon.

Actor Scott Stevenson played Kent Deezling, who was referred to as "HeroTrooper" during production. Over the course of a day, the visual effects team captured pickup shots, promotional stills photography, and "Sprite" shots in which Stevenson performed actions in front of a blue screen that could be edited into the film.

Although none of the pickup shots of Stevenson as Deezling were used in the final film, some "Sprite" shots were used and the promotional stills were used in various other media. This included the reference book Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, written by Pablo Hidalgo and released on the same day as the film, which was the first source to identify Deezling.